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Door County Habitat & Door County Housing Partnership Sister Bay Ava Hope Trail Home UPDATE Exciting updates from the Ava Hope Trail project: Door County Habitat for Humanity volunteers have started building the Door County Housing Partnership home in Sister Bay, a collaborative effort dedicated to providing affordable housing for local families in need.

Exacerbating recent funding issues for Door County Habitat for Humanity, flooding in late June at its headquarters and ReStore location in Sturgeon Bay resulted in roughly $45,000 in damages. The flooding at the store in June was at least partly due to outdated city infrastructure, according to Sturgeon Bay City Council Alderperson Kirsten Reeths. Reeths represents District 7 in the city, the area where the ReStore is located. The ReStore is a home improvement resale store operated by Habitat employees and volunteers. Proceeds from the sale of donated goods at the store go toward helping people achieve decent and affordable home ownership, according to the organization’s website.

With a little luck and your support, more groundbreakings will be held near a cul-de-sac on Ava Hope Trail in Sister Bay. Last week, the Door County Housing Partnership, Door County Habitat for Humanity, United Way of Door County, and others celebrated the groundbreaking for a new home to be built for the family of Ali Hernandez and Rimvydas Balciunas.

The couple, with their two children, Vaiva, 2, and Luca, 4 months, are currently living in a cramped, two-bedroom apartment in Baileys Harbor. Priced out of the housing market, they were considering moving to Green Bay, where Ali’s parents live. Instead, they will stay in Northern Door by purchasing a Door County Housing Partnership (DCHP) home once it’s constructed (by Door Habitat for Humanity Volunteers).

The Door County Housing Partnership will break gound on its sixth home July 30. It’s the first of 10 homes to be built on land purchased from the Village of Sister Bay with grant dollars from United Way of Door County. The home will be built by volunteers coordinated by Door County Habitat for Humanity and will be sold to a qualified person in the early education field to help stabilize childcare in Door County. The United Way funds came as part of a Workforce Innovation Grant from the Department of Workforce Development and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. The event will include comments from Missy Hughes, secretary and CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and state representative Joel Kitchens.

Two Door County nonprofits focused on Workforce and Affordable Housing will work together this summer in Sister Bay. In this unique agreement, the home will be financed and owned by Door County Housing Partnership (DCHP) and built by Door County Habitat for Humanity (DCHfH) Volunteers!

Two Door County nonprofits focused on Workforce and Affordable Housing will work together this summer in Sister Bay. In this unique agreement, the home will be financed and owned by Door County Housing Partnership (DCHP) and built by Door County Habitat for Humanity (DCHfH) Volunteers!

Two single-parent families with children have homes in Sturgeon Bay, thanks partly to your generosity and the collaboration of several organizations. This week, the Door County Housing Partnership announced the completion of two new homes in Sturgeon Bay as they continue to address affordable housing in the area. The organization partnered with Door County Habitat for Humanity on one of the homes and received assistance from benefactors Mike and Kathryn Martell and Countrywide Construction of Forestville for the other. Pastor Jim Honig said last December that their work can be hard at times, but their firsthand impact makes their efforts worth it.

Door County Habitat for Humanity (DCHH) has raised $37,000 towards its goal of $200,000 needed for a 2024 home build in Sister Bay. This will be the 50th home completed by the organization since its founding in 1993. DCHH builds and repairs homes to support affordable home ownership. Homes are made affordable due to the volunteer labor used to build or repair the home, and a low-cost mortgage loan. For more information and to make a donation go to doorhabitat.org.

Door County has roughly three times the number of tax-exempt organizations as a typical community of its size. It’s also the only place I’ve ever lived where so many folks (particularly those who are retired) introduce themselves by talking about the charities with which they are involved.